Barton: Sleep is an issue

Mischa Barton found talking about her breakdown "very difficult".

The former The OC actress made the confession while reflecting on her 2009 breakdown.

In the interview with British magazine Star, Mischa opened up about her battles.

“Sleep has always been an issue for me. When I was in high school, I was an insomniac,” she admitted.

“You really don’t want to be tired when you’re acting or doing physical roles, which I do a lot of, so I find that sleep is very important for my overall health.”

Her health is something that has been the topic of conversation in the media over the years, particularly in 2009 when it was reported she had a “full-on breakdown”.

And the 27-year-old has admitted that she never intended to share all the gory details.

“[It was] very difficult. I had no intention of doing a huge tell-all, but in some ways what people were thinking was worse than the reality,” she explained.

“So even though I’m an incredibly private person, I decided to [tell the truth about what I had been through].”

Mischa previously confessed that her breakdown was “terrifying” and straight out of the film Girl Interrupted.

But in her interview with Star, she says people shouldn’t be as quick to judge actors who burn out.

“Until you’ve worked 18-hour days and you’ve been through the wringer, and you’ve suffered from jetlag and early call times and the pressure and the stress, I don’t think you can understand,” she said.

“You can’t knock people when they are working hard at what they do. I don’t think people give actors enough credit for the hard work they put in.” Copyright: Cover Media 2014